South Korea laid the groundwork to become a powerful space nation with the successful launch of its homegrown rocket, Nuri, this year.

The rocket, which lifted off on May 25 carrying eight satellites, successfully delivered a commercial-grade satellite into orbit.

Although the launch was the third to be carried out, it is considered the first real launch as it carried actual orbiters instead of a dummy payload.

A successful third test flight of a solid-fuel space rocket on December 4 confirmed the country’s capacity to transport small satellites via such vehicles.

This year, South Korea proved its technical capabilities with the production and delivery of a domestically made satellite, technology the nation had previously been highly dependent on other countries for.

The fact that it succeeded in developing such homegrown hardware is significant given that nations dominant in the space sector restricted related exports to maintain a technological upper hand.

It is also encouraging that 80 percent of the Nuri’s development budget was allocated to private companies, leading to assessments that the launch has ushered in a “new space era” led by the private sector.

Photo : YONHAP News, KBS News

1. S. Korea, US, Japan Usher in New Era of Cooperation

2. Ties between South Korea and Japan Thaw into Full Partnership

3. Inter-Korean Ties Suffer Due to N. Korea’s Continued Provocations

4. Rival Camps’ Partisan Polarization Deepens

5. Industrial Environment Takes Hit, Drastic Changes Seen in Global Supply Chains

6. Japan Releases Contaminated Water from Fukushima Plant

7. New Gov't Agency Launched for Overseas Koreans

8. S. Korea Wins UN Security Council Seat

9. S. Korea Successfully Launches Homegrown Nuri Rocket

10. S. Koreans Take World by Storm in Classical Music, Literature